KibaNaru: Hearts Intertwined
by BlackBird6295
Summary: When Shikamaru leaves to train for 5 years, Kiba is left sad and alone. Who will fill the void? KIBANARU YAOI and FLUFF! Rated T for language, this is my first fic, so go easy please!
1. Chapter 1: Best Friends

CHAPTER 1: Best Friends

"Hey Shikamaru, what's up!" Shikamaru turned his head to see Kiba and his loyal puppy Akamaru running through the grass toward him.

Shikamaru turned his head back to its original position, reclining against a tree. Shikamaru enjoyed passing the time by lying under trees just watching the clouds roll by. To him, the thought of company when he was in this state was just too troublesome for him.

Kiba is an exception to this though. Shikamaru had always enjoyed only Kiba and Akamaru's company when he was in his 'happy place': under a tree watching the clouds pass him by. He and Kiba had connected ever since the Chuunin Exams, and they have enjoyed every second they had together.

Shikamaru always thought of Kiba as the brother that he never had, and Kiba felt the same way about Shikamaru. They have had this special bond ever since Kiba saved Shikamaru's life during the Chuunin Exams.

_ FLASHBACK_

"We need to move, and we need to move now," Ino said to her comrades. "If we don't get to the tower soon, those collectors or some other team will eventually try to take our scrolls."

"Yeah, yeah," Shikamaru said. "It's not like we're incapable of handling some bastards that wait until the last minute to collect what others have worked hard for."

"Hopefully, we won't have that problem." Ino remarked. "We shouldn't have a problem as long as we get to the tower before the collectors show uuuuuuuuppppppppp…!"

Ino, not the best at tree running, slipped on a branch. However, Shikamaru's quick reflexes caught her just in time.

"You alright?" Shikamaru asked. "Yeah, I'm fine, thanks." Ino replied, still in shock.

The team had stopped to take care of Ino for a while. They found a nearby cave and examined Ino's leg. She had fractured two foot bones and cracked her femur.

"Looks like we will have to stay here for now" Shikamaru said. "I think that you are pushing yourself too hard Ino."

"No, I'm fin…" Ino gasped as she tried to get up on her leg.

"Ino, seriously, we will stay here for the night so you can rest up." Shikamaru insisted.

"Ok.." Ino said in pain.

*Nightfall*

Choji and Ino had fallen asleep by now. However, Shikamaru sat on the soft grass outside of the cave, doing what he does best: relaxing up against a tree. He couldn't get over the fact that they had to stop just because of Ino's horrible tree running skills. "It's all such a drag." Shikamaru mumbled.

He leaned over to get the bottle of water. He picked it up and realized that it was almost empty. Shikamaru set the bottle at his side thinking "Oh, of course it's almost done, just when I am thirsty." With that, he got up from his relaxed position to go and find a spring where he could fill the bottle up.

He woke Choji to watch Ino while he left to find a spring. Choji wasn't too happy about it, but he figured that it would be like 'late late dinner', so he said ok.

Shikamaru was walking along a path when he encounters a kunai knife stuck in a tree. "Hm, must've been rotting in this tree for days." Shikamaru thought. He pulls the kunai out of the tree and to his surprise there is a paper bomb at the end of it.

Shikamaru threw the kunai at a tree and it exploded. Suddenly, out of nowhere, the collectors started spawning from the shadows of the night. Shikamaru turned to run and awake his team, but when he lifted his leg, he couldn't move it. His leg was paralyzed from fear of the collectors.

When all hope seemed to be lost, Shikamaru paralyzed, and the collectors slowly limping over to him, all of a sudden someone or something bolted out of the trees and snatched Shikamaru away from the collectors.

Shikamaru was in shock and he was traumatized. He turned to see his rescuer, only to see someone in a grey hoodie with the hood masking most of his face.

"Who are you…?" asked Shikamaru, who was at this point dazed, confused and drowsy. Shikamaru was so tired. At this point, he feels like he had just woken up, so everything is one big blur to him.

"Try not to talk, your still experiencing a lot of trauma. You should rest up Shikamaru," the hooded boy said. "Fighting while you're so tired isn't something that I would expect from you, Shika. In fact, I thought that you were the type of guy who wanted to avoid anything troublesome."

"Heh,heh.. I am that kind of guy." Shikamaru said faintly. The hooded boy stopped and put his arm around Shikamaru to help him over to a nearby tree next to a crystal clear, placid spring. They both sat down against the tree.

Shikamaru, still drowsy and unspeakably exhausted, was being supported by the hooded boy, who still had his arm around him.

"Thank you.." Shikamaru said. "You.. you never told me your name.." Shikamaru was starting to fall asleep because of the fatigue his body was going through. The hooded boy took off the hood and looked into Shikamaru's eyes.

"Kiba…" Shikamaru said faintly.

Shikamaru then collapsed into Kiba's arms, falling into a deep sleep.

_END OF FLASHBACK_

Kiba ran to Shikamaru, who was still reclined against his favorite tree. Kiba wasn't in his trademark grey hoodie, he was wearing a t-shirt and shorts.

"Hey Shika! Warm out today, isn't it!" Kiba said.

"It is, I can tell from your geddup." Shikamaru replied.

"Oh, come on! I don't wear that grey hoodie for one day and you criticize me for it?"

"No, no. You look great."

"Well, it means a lot when it comes from you, Shika." Kiba said.

Shikamaru's tongue was tied. He couldn't tell Kiba the truth. Shikamaru knew that he was going to be leaving Konoha to train with his sensei Asuma for a few years, but he could never tell Kiba that because then he would be crushed.

Those two have been best friends for a long time. They were closer than brothers. Shikamaru isn't really aware of it, but he means more to Kiba than a brother or a best friend. Kiba tried his hardest every day to conceal it. Deep down, Kiba has feelings toward Shikamaru. He has had these feelings for a long time, but he wasn't sure if Shikamaru had felt the same about him.

"Kiba, we have been friends for such a long time. I think that are bond is so strong that nothing could break it."

"Yeah, you got that right, Shika!"

"Not even time could weaken this bond of friendship, right?"

Shikamaru was trying to turn the conversation so that he could lay the news on Kiba lightly.

"What are you getting at, Shika?" Kiba asked cautiously.

"Kiba, I am leaving to train with Asuma sensei for about five years."

Kiba was startled and shocked in disbelief of what he had just heard from his friend. He could not believe it. Kiba just stared at Shikamaru, and Shikamaru stared back.

"Kiba, I'm sorry."

Kiba started to bite the side of his lips, closed his eyes, and looked down at the fresh green grass.

"Shika,…" Kiba muttered. "You never really liked to travel,.. or even really move at all. You always thought that it was… too troublesome.." Kiba was now sniffling.

A tear ran down Kiba's face.

"Shika, you are my best friend…. My brother… sniff sniff"

"Kiba, no matter what happens; you and I will always be best friends. Not even time itself will change that."

"Shika..sniff..you cannot be sure that it won't change our friendship.."

"Kiba, it will not change, I promise you that."

Kiba dropped to his knees, supporting himself with one arm clenching the grass, and another wiping his tears. Kiba was sobbing now. He could not stand the fact that they wouldn't see each other for five years. It was too much for Kiba, especially because he had secret feelings for Shikamaru.

In the midst of his sobbing, Shikamaru reached at Kiba and softly lowered his hands from his tear-soaked face. Kiba and Shikamaru locked eyes. Kiba's tears were still running down his face. He looked into Shikamaru's eyes with a look of desperation; a look that says: 'I'll do anything, just don't leave me here without you'. His eyes were wide open, no longer clenched.

Shikamaru lifted a hand to Kiba's face. He gently ran his hand along Kiba's cheek, wiping the tears away.

"Please don't.." Shikamaru said. "Please don't cry because of me."

Kiba was still sniffling a little, but the tears stopped. The only tears that were left were the ones trailing from his eyes to his chin.

"Kiba, it pains me to see you like this.." Shikamaru said softly.

"Shika…sniff sniff"

"It's all going to be okay." Shikamaru said, leaning in closer to Kiba.

"I promise."

Kiba then pulled Shikamaru into his arms, his breathing returning to normal.

"Ok." Kiba said. "Just be safe, Shika."

"Hey, it's me." Shika said reassuringly.

"Really? Last time I had to save you." Kiba laughed.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure that you don't show me up again." Shikamaru said.

"Please write to me if you get the chance." Kiba said.

"You can count on it," said Shikamaru.

The sun was setting and the two young shinobi returned to their homes.

The next day, Shikamaru and Kiba met each other at Konoha's main gate.

"So I guess this is goodbye, for now anyway." Shikamaru said.

"I am going to miss you so much, Shika." Kiba said. "Please don't forget about me."

"Are you kidding? You will be on my mind each and every day." Shikamaru replied.

"Same here, Shika." Kiba said. "Just be safe."

Asuma approached the two shinobi.

"Shikamaru, are you ready?" Asuma asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Shikamaru said. "Did you pack the Shougi board Asuma?"

"Yep. I got it right here." Asuma said as he pointed his thumb back to his backpack.

"Alright Shikamaru, did you say your goodbyes?" Asuma asked.

"Yeah, I did." Shikamaru said.

Shikamaru glanced back at Kiba, who was obviously hiding his depression and sadness behind a small smile. Shikamaru could see right through Kiba, so he knew that this was what was happening inside of him.

"Ok, let's go." Shika said.

Asuma had a cigarette hanging out of his half-open mouth. He first looked at Shikamaru, whose eyes were still fixed on Kiba's, and then Asuma shifted his eyes to Kiba. He shrugged indifferently.

He and Shikamaru started walking away, leaving Kiba behind.

Kiba clenched his stomach, lowered his head and squeezed his eyes as he muttered to himself: "He's going to be fine. We'll be keeping in touch and five years will go by in no time."

Shikamaru stopped walking, but Asuma kept moving until he noticed that Shikamaru had stopped.

"Something wrong, Shikamaru?" Asuma said.

Shikamaru glanced back at Kiba. Kiba raised his head and looked at Shikamaru. Tears were running down Kiba's face. Shikamaru ran back to Kiba, throwing his arms around him when they met.

"I'll be back soon. I promise." Shikamaru said.

"I know." Kiba replied.

The two shinobi hugged tightly for a few seconds until Shikamaru finally broke apart and went after Asuma. Kiba was left behind by himself as he watched his best friend walk away from him. The wind started softly blowing, kicking up leaves that had fallen to the ground. Kiba picked up a leaf and examined it. He then looked back up at Shikamaru and thought to himself: "All of Konoha's young leaves will return someday, fully grown and mature. Kiba and Shikamaru swore to each other that they would never change. Kiba looked up at the bright blue sky with optimism and remembered his best friend's last words to him.

"I promise."

Kiba had faith in Shikamaru and he knew that when he made a promise, he meant it with all his heart.


	2. Chapter 2: A New Beginning

CHAPTER 2: A New Beginning

It has been two weeks since Shikamaru left, and Kiba has been taking it hard. He felt like a piece of him was taken away. Rather, a piece of his heart was taken away. Kiba had always had feelings toward Shikamaru, but he didn't know if Shikamaru had felt the same. It was hard to tell because Kiba as well as everyone in Konoha knew that Shikamaru was an expert on hiding his inner feelings. He concealed his emotions exceptionally.

Kiba was lying in his bed, wearing a pair of khaki shorts and his fishnet undershirt. His dog Akamaru was sleeping by his side. Kiba was experiencing utter loneliness and despair ever since Shikamaru had left the village, so Akamaru was pretty much all he had to ease his pain of loneliness.

Kiba ran his hand gently through peaceful Akamaru's fur, his fingertips feeling the softness of Akamaru's hair with every move he made.

"Well, I still have you by my side, buddy," Kiba whispered.

He scooted over a bit to get closer to Akamaru. Kiba's half open eyes were fixed on his loyal companion. Kiba scrunched his knees closer to his chest and put his arm around Akamaru.

Akamaru flinched a little, but soon returned to his peaceful state. Kiba shifted back to his original position, spread out on his bed with Akamaru at his side. He couldn't stop thinking about Shikamaru. He hadn't written to Kiba yet, so it made him feel a little insecure and worried about him.

Kiba reached over to the drawstring of his window blinds and pulled it down to see outside. It was very gloomy and bleak, the perfect setting to match Kiba's feelings at the moment. Kiba rolled over and sat up on the edge of his bed, putting his bare feet on the cold floor. He glanced back at Akamaru, who was still deep in slumber, and decided to get up.

Kiba stood up and walked to the door of the second floor outer deck. He opened the door and walked to the front of the upper deck. His body was getting cold, since he was barefoot and only in his fishnet undershirt and a pair of shorts. Nevertheless, he put his arms on the wooden rail of the deck and rested his head on them as he looked out at the village.

He felt a light breeze blow by, lightly grazing his hair. Kiba still couldn't take Shikamaru off of his mind. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't shake the memory of him from his mind. With one more glance at the village, he decided to take a walk to think things over.

He walked back inside and toward his closet. He just put on his grey hoodie over his fishnet shirt, since he didn't feel like getting totally dressed today. He made his way to the foyer, put on his shoes, took his key and left the house.

As Kiba was walking down the quiet roads of Konoha, he kept thinking about what Shikamaru said to him before he left:

"_You'll be on my mind each and every day, Kiba."_

Kiba always felt reassured when he remembered Shikamaru telling him this. It let him know that Shikamaru was probably feeling the same loneliness that Kiba was feeling, or at least Kiba hoped that Shikamaru was thinking about him.

Kiba kept walking and he eventually ended up walking by Shikamaru's favorite tree. Kiba stopped and stared at the tree, deep in thought.

_FLASHBACK_

"Hey Shika, why do you like this tree so much? It's the same as any other tree, isn't it?" Kiba asked.

"Well, to others it is just another tree, yes," Shikamaru replied. "But to me it is more than just a tree." It holds my most precious memories."

"Really? Like what?" Kiba asked curiously.

"Well," Shika replied, "It's the perfect spot to watch the clouds, and I climbed it when I was little, and.."

"That's why you favor this tree?" Kiba interrupted.

"Well, I mostly favor it for one memory." Shikamaru replied.

"What's that?" Kiba asked.

"This tree is the place where we first met." Shikamaru said, smiling at Kiba.

Kiba and Shikamaru locked eyes and smiled at each other.

"Thank you, Shikamaru." Kiba said calmly.

_END OF FLASHBACK_

"Shika.. I miss you so much." Kiba quietly said to himself.

It started to rain. Yet, Kiba still stood there, out in the rain deep in memory of his best friend. A few moments later, Kiba started walking down the street. He really needed a friend right now. He continued walking down the street, until he saw the Ichiraku Ramen shop, lit up and open. He was sort of hungry.

"Eh, why not." Kiba said to himself.

He started walking toward Ichiraku and saw someone sitting on one of the stools, alone. Kiba walked inside the ramen shop to find Naruto Uzumaki's face buried deep in ramen broth, slurping down what was left of his huge bowl of ramen.

"N-Naruto?" Kiba said.

Naruto stopped slurping and put his bowl down on the counter. He was surprised to see Kiba standing on the opposite side of the room.

"Hey what's up, Kiba!" Naruto said. "I didn't think that anyone would be here on a day like this. I never really figured _you_ to be the type of guy who would trek out in this weather for a bowl of ramen."

"Hey, you're not the only one Naruto!"

They both laughed.

"Come on and sit with me, Kiba!" Naruto said.

Kiba was relieved to see someone he knew. Especially Naruto, because he was one of the shinobi who he would pull pranks with back at the academy. Messing with Iruka sensei used to be their favorite thing to do, along with Shikamaru.

"Sure, Naruto." Kiba replied.

Kiba took a seat next to Naruto.

"One bowl of the special please." Kiba yelled.

"You got it!" The man responded from the kitchen.

"So Kiba what have you been up to lately?" Naruto asked.

"Oh, you know. Stuff. Like training with Kurenai sensei. How about you, Naruto?" Kiba said.

"Sakura and I are doing just fine. But.. I am still having no luck with my promise to her."

"Oh, that's right… It's Sasuke, isn't it." Kiba said.

Naruto looked down at his empty ramen bowl with half open eyes, obviously deep in thought.

"Yeah.. It's Sasuke.." Naruto said in a depressed tone.

"How long has it been since we went on that mission?" Kiba asked. "A couple mon.."

"Two years." Naruto interrupted, still in that same depressed tone.

"Naruto, can I ask you something?" Kiba asked

"Yeah, what is it Kiba?"

"Well, Sasuke was like, your best friend, right?" Kiba asked hesitantly.

"Yeah. He still is. He is still my _best _friend. We have a special bond that we share."

Kiba's eyes got a bit wider. _Special Bond_. Just like he and Shikamaru.

"Naruto, how do you manage to keep your spirits up even when Sasuke is gone? It's been two years and you are still, you know, happy." Kiba asked.

"Well, I still have Sakura with me along with all of my friends, like you." Naruto replied. "Why are you asking me this?"

"No reason, I'm just amazed!" Kiba said, rubbing the back of his head.

Kiba's ramen was served to him. It looked absolutely delicious.

"Oh boy!" Kiba said as he picked up his chopsticks. He looked over and saw Naruto staring at his ramen with a lustful and almost 'begging' look.

"What, do you want some?" Kiba asked.

"Sure!" Naruto exclaimed.

Kiba took his chopsticks, caught some noodles and put it up to Naruto.

"Open wide!" Kiba said.

"What, you're gonna feed me?" Naruto asked in surprise.

"Yeah sure, why not! What are friends for?" Kiba insisted.

"Mmm.. okay!" Naruto said.

Naruto opened his mouth and Kiba fed him the ramen as if he was feeding it to a baby. Naruto slurped it up rather quickly.

"Woah!" Kiba said. "You really love ramen, don't you!"

"Always have, always will!" Naruto said.

The two shinobi exchanged smiles and laughed for a moment. It was the happiest Kiba's been since Shikamaru left. They both finished their ramen, and were getting ready to head out.

"Hey Kiba, I just noticed; You're soaked!" Naruto said.

"Oh, yeah, I almost forgot. Well it's no problem for me."

"Why don't you come back with me to my house? You can get dried off there." Naruto said.

Kiba thought about Akamaru and how he might be awake by now and wondering where Kiba was, but Kiba enjoyed Naruto's company almost as much as he enjoyed Shikamaru's company.

"Yeah, sure. Why not!" Kiba said.

"Okay then. Let's go!" Naruto exclaimed.

The two paid for the ramen and started walking to Naruto's house. Kiba was beginning to think that Naruto could help fill the void of Shikamaru's absence. The two of them were friends since their days at the academy, and they always got along well.

The rain had let up a bit, but it was still drizzling. The two chatted on the way to Naruto's house. They finally arrived at his home and Naruto was reaching around for his key.

"I know that it's here somewhere." Naruto said as he searched his jacket pockets.

"Are you always this clumsy, Naruto?" Kiba asked.

"Alright hotshot, I don't see your key." Naruto remarked.

Naruto turned around to see Kiba holding his key up to his face.

"Smart ass." Naruto remarked.

Kiba laughed. Naruto couldn't help but smile a bit too. He finally found his key in his back pocket and the two shinobi went inside. They both took off their shoes and walked into the kitchen. There were open cans of stovetop ramen everywhere.

"Jeez, Naruto!" Kiba said. "Haven't you ever heard of spring cleaning?"

"Yeah, I just never got around to it." Naruto explained.

"It's okay, I don't mind at all." Kiba said.

"Thanks." Naruto said. "Hey why don't we go to my room. I can spare a few bath towels to dry us off."

The two went into Naruto's room, which was just as much of a mess as the kitchen, minus the ramen cans. His bed was unmade, and there were clothes lying on the floor all over the room.

"_Hm typical Naruto"_ Kiba thought to himself.

Naruto grabbed a few towels from the bathroom and brought them into his bedroom.

"Here Kiba." Naruto tossed the towel at Kiba.

Kiba was sitting on the edge of Naruto's bed. He caught the towel and He started to dry himself off. He started rubbing the towel against his bare foot to dry it off. Meanwhile, Naruto, also soaked, took off his orange jacket and threw it over a desk chair. He then reached for his black shirt and took that off as well so he could towel down.

Kiba couldn't help but look at Naruto's muscular body when he was stripping his layers to dry off. Naruto threw his shirt across the room and threw the towel around his neck and let it hang there. Wearing nothing but his orange cargo pants, Naruto walked towards Kiba.

"Uh.. sorry about the mess. The whole house is sort of like this." Naruto said innocently rubbing the back of his head.

"Hey, it's no problem Naruto." Kiba replied.

"Heh, thanks. I only care that you are comfortable and out of the rain." Naruto said. "Hey why don't you hand over your hoodie so I can dry it."

"Sure, thanks Naruto." Kiba replied, unzipping the hoodie.

Naruto watched as Kiba took off the soaked grey hoodie to reveal the see-through fishnet undershirt behind it. Naruto took the hoodie and threw it in the dryer along with _his_ drenched clothes. Naruto came back into the room to find Kiba now drying his bare chest. He had taken the fishnet off and it was lying in his lap.

"Do you want me to put the fishnet in the dryer too Kiba?" Naruto asked.

"Sure, here you go." Kiba replied.

Naruto grabbed the fishnet off of Kiba and threw it in the dryer with the rest of the clothes. Naruto was sort of happy inside to have Kiba as company. Naruto walked back into the room to see Kiba now looking out the window optimistically.

"Kiba, are you okay?" Naruto asked softly.

"Oh yeah, I'm fine." Kiba said.

"You haven't been acting like yourself lately. Is something wrong?" Naruto asked innocently.

Kiba turned around from the window and looked at Naruto and said: "Look. I'm fine okay!"

"Okay, okay. Jeez I'm just asking." Naruto said.

Naruto sat down on the edge of his bed and looked at Kiba, who was sitting cross-legged on his bed just staring out the window. Naruto could sense that something was off about Kiba.

"Kiba, we've been friends for a long time. You know that you can tell me anything, right?" Naruto gently asked.

"Yes, I know that." Kiba said, still staring out the window.

Naruto looked at Kiba's reflection in the window and he could see that he had tears on his face. Naruto rested his hand on Kiba's shoulder. Kiba slowly turned his head toward Naruto, who had a look of understanding and concern on his face. Kiba looked into Naruto's ocean blue eyes. Kiba was biting his lip and there _were_ tears running down his face. Naruto could tell that Kiba's breathing was starting to become irregular, turning into a sobbing rhythm.

"Kiba, I will always be here for you." Naruto said. "Please tell me what's wrong, Kiba."

"It's, it's…" Kiba said, about to burst into tears.

"What is it?" Naruto said gently.

"It's..Shika!" Kiba cried out.

Kiba immediately burst into tears and buried his face into Naruto's bare chest, sobbing and panting. In response, Naruto held Kiba's head close to his chest and wrapped his other arm around Kiba's body, pulling him closer to him.

"Shh.. It's okay." Naruto whispered as Kiba continued his sobbing. "I understand how you feel better than anyone could. Shikamaru left to train for a while, right?"

Kiba nodded as he continued sobbing. His tears were now running down Naruto's chest.

"I understand." Naruto said as he held Kiba close. "You have Shikamaru, and I have Sasuke. I see. So this is why you asked me how I kept my spirits up after Sasuke left."

Kiba lifted his head, still partly sobbing, and looked into Naruto's eyes.

"Naruto, I—It is too much for me.. sniff.. Shika is my best friend!"

"And Sasuke is mine." Naruto replied. "It's okay Kiba."

Kiba looked up at Naruto.

"How is it okay Naruto." Kiba asked, still panting a bit.

"You still have me, right?" Naruto said reassuringly.

Kiba was able to force a small smile and he nodded at Naruto. Kiba stopped sobbing and he threw his arms around Naruto. Kiba felt so much better to know that Naruto would be by his side, but he also felt that he could tell Naruto anything and he would understand.

"Thank you.. Naruto Uzumaki." Kiba said as he rested his head on Naruto's shoulder.

"Hey." Naruto said. "Anytime. After all, what are friends for?"

The two shinobi hugged tightly for a long time, their half naked bodies pressed against one another. Both Naruto and Kiba knew that this would open many doors for the two of them. They would have an everlasting bond of friendship, and although the two shinobi didn't know it, the secret feelings that they had for each other could come to life.


	3. Chapter 3: The Festival

CHAPTER 3: The Festival

Kiba slept well the following night, falling asleep knowing that as far as missing friends went, he was not alone. That simple fact is all that Kiba needed to start cheering up about Shikamaru. Kiba slowly opened his eyes in response to the morning sun beaming onto his face through the blinds. It was as if the weather depended on Kiba's mood. He was much happier now that he sort of '_bonded_' with Naruto the night before. Kiba looked over at Akamaru, who was still asleep, his little tail curled to the side.

"Still asleep boy?" Kiba whispered. He laid a gentle hand on Akamaru. Kiba pet his dog's fur a bit and then rolled over, back to his original position. He got up and went to the bathroom. He looked at himself in the mirror and even he noticed that he didn't look as pale and depressed as the day before. He just stared at his reflection and couldn't help but crack a little smirk. He splashed his face with water and left the bathroom, grabbing his grey jacket and heading downstairs.

Kiba went outside for some fresh air. He was planning on spending the day with Naruto, something he had never attempted before. From what he heard, spending an entire day with that knucklehead was no easy task. However, this was different; Kiba loved the stupid stuff Naruto did on a daily basis, although he tries to hide it from people. Kiba pretty much loved everything Naruto did. Even hearing his voice instantly put him in a better mood.

Kiba reached Naruto's apartment and knocked on the door.

"Naruto? You there?" Kiba asked. No response. Kiba twisted the doorknob in doubt that it would be unlocked. But to his surprise, it wasn't locked. _Oh Naruto, you seriously forgot to lock the door. Not that it surprises me that much._ Kiba thought. He walked inside his house, knowing that Naruto wouldn't mind his letting himself in. It's not breaking and entering if the door is unlocked.

"Naruto? You here?" Kiba asked. He walked through the kitchen and into the bedroom to find Naruto, still asleep and sprawled out in his bed, his limbs going in all different directions. Kiba bit his lip; he was so tempted to touch Naruto, to feel his bare flesh while he had the chance. He tip-toed over to Naruto's bedside and just stared at him asleep. He looked so peaceful and innocent, which aroused Kiba even more. His temptations were getting the better of him. Kiba reached his hand over to Naruto's hand, picking it up gently and caressing his skin with his soft fingers. Kiba enjoyed every moment of it, just like he enjoyed when the two of them were hugging half-naked the night before. He had missed the feel of it.

All of a sudden, Naruto, still asleep, moved around a bit. Kiba retreated his hand, afraid that Naruto had woken up. Instead, he had mumbled a few words and put his hand out. To Kiba's panic, Naruto's trademark Rasengan started to form in his hand.

_Oh man, I thought that he needed a shadow clone for that jutsu!_ Kiba thought. Rasengan was getting bigger, so Kiba had no other choice but to shake Naruto awake.

"Naruto! Naruto! Wake up!" Kiba yelled, shaking him all around. Finally, Naruto woke up, surprised to see Kiba shaking him awake. "Alright! I-I'm awake! K-Kiba-STOP!" Naruto yelled. Kiba immediately stopped shaking him. "S-sorry N-Naruto. But I only did it because you were about to hit me with your Rasengan.

"Rasengan? No way-" Naruto whispered, in total shock.

"Yeah," Kiba said, "you seriously almost took me ou-"

"No WAY!" Naruto sprung out of bed in an instant. "But how did I do my Shadow Clone Jutsu when I was asleep?"

"You didn't," Kiba said. "It formed in one hand."

Naruto looked at him in utter disbelief.

"It's okay, I'm fin-" Kiba said.

"Aw MAN!" Naruto yelled. "How can I do that with one hand in my sleep but I can't do it when I'm awake! Man that is so uncool!" Naruto interrupted.

Kiba just stared at him with one eye squinted and one eye wide open, his jaw hitting the ground.

"But the important thing is that you are okay, Kiba." Naruto said. At least now Kiba knew that Naruto _was_ concerned for Kiba's safety.

"It's alright, I probably would've hit the deck anyway." Kiba said. The two of them laughed together.

"So how about it, Kiba? What's up? And wait, _how did you get into my house_!" Naruto had just realized that he had never let Kiba in.

"Your door was unlocked." Kiba replied, answering calmly. "You really gotta remember to lock it next time." Kiba said.

"Yeah, well I was focused on cheering you up last night so it must have just slipped my mind, that's all." Naruto said.

Kiba looked into Naruto's ocean blue eyes. "Yeah, Naruto thanks for all of that. You really brightened up my spirits about Shika." Kiba said, rubbing the back of his head.

"Hey, no problem," Naruto said, raising a thumbs up. "You can count on me, Kiba. After all, we are friends, aren't we?" Naruto laughed.

"Yeah, yeah we are Naruto." Kiba said nodding and smiling.

_Naruto's POV_

_Oh Kiba, I just had to help you out. I can never stand to see you sad and lonely because I know that feeling. So here you are now, right in front of me, laughing and smiling with your cute little fang hanging out on one side of your mouth. Oh Kiba, I wish that I could tell you how I feel about you, but I really want us to stay friends._

_Normal POV_

"Naruto? Naruto, don't blank out on me." Kiba said, waving his hand in fron of Naruto's face.

Naruto shook his head quickly as if he was coming to his senses. "Oh sorry, Kiba. Anyway, now that I'm awake, what do you want to do today?"

"I don't know Naruto. The day is ours; we can do anything we want!" Kiba said.

"Let's start with going to the festival in town." Kiba said.

Naruto smiled. "Works for me! But we're going to Ichiraku tonight for dinner, right?" Naruto asked.

"Sure Naruto, whatever you want." Kiba replied.

Naruto got out of bed, Kiba was waiting in Naruto's bedroom doorway. Kiba watched as the half-naked boy stretched and put on his jacket and pants. The two of them walked over to the foyer and put their shoes on. Kiba as well as Naruto couldn't wait to spend the day together.

The festival was a blast. There were so many games and all types of food. Everyone was having so much fun.

"So, having a good time, Naruto?" Kiba asked.

"You bet Kiba! I'm stuffed!" Naruto exclaimed.

Kiba laughed. "Can't you think about anything else but food, for once Naruto!" Kiba said.

"Well, yeah! I think about the games, I think about the prizes, I think about you.." Naruto's voice trailed off before he could get the rest of the word 'you' out. The two of them froze. Naruto couldn't believe how close he came to telling Kiba how he felt about him. He didn't want to make him suspicious, so Naruto immediately trailed off to another subject.

"Well hey, looks like we picked the perfect day to come downtown!" Naruto said. He couldn't help but sound awkward because he still wasn't sure if Kiba was suspicious or not. Naruto looked up at the bright blue sky only to be unpleasantly surprised by the clouds that were rolling in.

'_Oh, great. I picked the perfect time to switch the subject. Typical. Me and my big mouth.'_ Naruto thought.

Kiba looked up at the sky as well. "Aw, man! Why can't two friends go someplace without this shitty weather?" Kiba asked. "I mean, come on! Gimme a break for once."

Naruto and Kiba kept walking down the street. Naruto couldn't help but notice how all of the villagers were looking at him. They were all wearing faces of disgust and hatred when they stared at him. Kiba tried to ignore them by focusing on Naruto. Naruto, however, couldn't stop thinking about it. It has always been like this for him. Even in his childhood, he grew up in this hatred towards him. Kiba felt really bad for him.

The two of them continued down the street headed for the other side of the festival, when a kunai was thrown in their direction.

"Naruto, get down!" Kiba yelled as he threw himself onto Naruto, forcing him down to the ground.

The kunai had missed them only by inches. It was directed at Naruto. Still laying on the ground with one arm around Naruto, Kiba looked up to see a crowd of villagers in an offensive position.

"We don't want that _thing _here." One of the villagers said. The rest of the villagers, who were all circled around the two shinobi, were in an uproar of agreement.

"Wha?" Kiba said as his voice trailed off. He suddenly remembered that the kunai was directed at Naruto.

"Hey, you! Didn't you hear what I said? I said that we don't want that _beast_ in our sight!"

Kiba was still confused. He had no idea what these people's beef was with them.

"Our peaceful village would be better off without him." the villager continued.

Naruto, his head still pressing against the ground, clenched a hard fist.

"I mean, what does it take to get the Kyuubi out of our lives!"

Kiba finally came to realization. They were talking about Naruto. Kiba was aware that Naruto was hated in the past, but he didn't know that he still experienced it even to this day.

The crowd was still shouting derogatory comments toward Naruto. Kiba looked down at him. He noticed that his fist was clenched, and the surrounding sounds just faded away as he focused on Naruto. He realized that Naruto was sobbing.

"Why?" Naruto whimpered in his tears. "Why?" he sobbed a bit more. He lifted himself up until he was on all fours. "Why is it always ME!" Naruto screamed at the crowd. Kiba was in shock just seeing how hurt Naruto was.

"No matter what I do," Naruto yelled, "I will always be nothing but a _beast_ in your eyes!"

Kiba was still speechless. Meanwhile, the crowd was still in an uproar, screaming at Naruto.

"Well I'll tell you one thing," Naruto sobbed, "You won't stop me! I'm still gonna be Hokage someday!"

Naruto got up, covering his face with his arm, and running away, in a burst of tears. He couldn't take the vile hatred toward him anymore. He couldn't bear to see their faces of disgust. Naruto ran off, still sobbing, leaving Kiba behind. The crowd started to cheer loudly in celebration of his leaving.

"Naruto! Naruto come back!" Kiba yelled. But it was no use. Naruto was already gone. Kiba just stood there, in shock of whathe had just witnessed. It started to rain. But Kiba had already shed tears by just looking at Naruto just then and listening to what he had to say.

"Ha ha, good. That aught a put that monster in its place." The villager said. Kiba clenched his fists and his teeth in anger.

"_Thing..beast..monster.._" Kiba said. He whirled around at all of the villagers, infuriated at them with every fiber of his being. The villagers got very silent in reaction to the look on Kiba's face.

"You can't do that to him!" Kiba screamed at the villagers. "You have NO idea what he has been through! He has given his life so many times for this village! And for _what_! To protect and ensure the safety of you ungrateful bastards!"

The villagers just stared at Kiba, who was still screaming at them. Many of them felt no different than they had before.

"He puts his life on the line for you, because that's what a leaf shinobi does! That boy that you jack asses just chased off has been through so much pain and sorrow!" Kiba's screaming intensified. "He had to grow up through hatred like this, even as a child! And he had to grow up _ALL BY HIMSELF._ Yet he still fights for the Leaf as well as the Land of Fire, and all of the people in it. If you people are what he fights for, then you are just a waste of his time! You ungrateful rats don't deserve Naruto."

The villagers paused at the powerfulness of Kiba's words. Kiba began walking in the direction where he saw Naruto running in. The villager who had thrown the kunai and said all of those things against Naruto could do nothing but just stare at Kiba's back in defeat.

Once he reached the end of the crowd, Kiba stopped. He turned around and sneered at the man. "You don't deserve him." Kiba said, more calmly as he walked away from the scene.


	4. Chapter 4: Friends Forever

CHAPTER 4: Friends Forever

Kiba ran after Naruto. He still couldn't believe that the villagers would still be treating Naruto this way after everything that he went through to protect them. He continued to run down the path that Naruto used to run away.

_Where could he have gone?_ Kiba thought to himself.

He thought of all the places where he could have went to get away from the hatred and pain that was consuming him. Kiba felt so bad for his friend; he loved him like a brother. Like Shika. He leaped into the trees. He was going to Naruto's apartment, hoping that maybe he would be there.

He arrived at Naruto's apartment, and turned the doorknob. He stopped, remembering how Naruto was always leaving his door unlocked. He slightly smiled at the memory of that night when Naruto comforted him after Shikamaru's leaving.

After a pause, he opened the door, and walked in. he took off his drenched hood and sandals and walked inside.

"Naruto?" Kiba called. "Naruto! Are you here?" He walked into his kitchen, only to find what he expected; Ramen bowls _everywhere_. Naruto's home was a mess, as always. Ignoring his surroundings, Kiba continued to search the apartment.

"Naruto! Naruto Please! If you're here, come on out already!" Still no answer.

Kiba walked into Naruto's bedroom, and found that he wasn't there either. Knowing this, Kiba continued into the room. Like all of the other rooms in the apartment, this one was a mess. What a surprise. Kiba paused, looking at Naruto's unmade bed.

_FLASHBACK_

"_Thank You..Naruto Uzumaki." Kiba said, as Naruto threw his arms around him._

"_Anytime!" Naruto said. "After all, what are friends for?" He said with his trademark toothy grin._

_END FLASHBACK_

_Friends._ Kiba thought to himself.

He walked over to his dresser and noticed the picture of squad 7. Kakashi Sensei, Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto were in the picture. Kiba picked it up to examine it more closely.

_Naruto.. You and Sasuke were the best of friends._ Kiba paused, looked at the picture for a bit longer, and finally put it down.

_What are friends for…_

"Naruto Uzumaki, I _will_ find you."

Kiba put his hood back on, ran out of Naruto's apartment, and slammed the door behind him, knowing that Naruto wouldn't mind his leaving it unlocked. Besides, there was no key. Well, at least, Kiba couldn't find one.

The rain had really picked up. It was almost a full blown thunder and lightning storm. Regardless, he continued to look for Naruto. He considered taking Akamaru out to try to track him, but the rain washes away all scents.

"Naruto!" Kiba yelled.

He was so desperate to find his friend. He was not going to leave him. No way.

Kiba jumped out of the trees, landing on the ground. He didn't know where else to go, except Ichiraku's. But he highly doubted that Naruto was the kind of guy who drowned all of his sorrows in ramen.

Kiba had nowhere else to go. He continued to search for Naruto, now walking.

_God, where the hell would he go?_

Something then sparked in Kiba's mind. He bolted over to the park, which was about half a mile away from the festival.

He arrived at the park, now completely drenched with rainwater. He was now walking, his cold hands dug deep into his pockets for warmth. He looked around, walking the path through the park where he said his goodbyes to Shikamaru before he left for the main gate.

Kiba was still fixated on how much he needed to find Naruto. It is his top priority right now.

As he walked, he heard something over the sound of the rain and the gentle wind. He stopped and looked around for whatever was making the noise. It took a few seconds for him to spot a Konoha shinobi headband in the grass next to Shikamaru's tree.

_Naruto._

Kiba slowly made his way over to Shika's tree. He walked in front of it to see that it was in fact Naruto who was making that noise. The sound of sobbing.

"Naruto?" Kiba said gently.

Naruto was soaked in rain and his face was soaked in tears. His bright orange jacket was unzipped, revealing his black t shirt, which was also drenched. Naruto was sobbing into both arms. He was in a fetal position, knees tucked in , arms keeping them tucked in.

Kiba was absolutely heartbroken, seeing Naruto like this. All of the slurs of the nasty villagers were running through Kiba's mind so fast right now.

Kiba immediately sat right next to Naruto, who looked up to see who it was. Kiba was greeted by a blank look on Naruto's face. He was still crying. Tears were running down his face. Seeing Kiba, although it didn't really show, lightened the load a bit for him.

Naruto rested his head on his arms, while Kiba got himself settled on the wet grass. Naruto slowly started holding Kiba's arm with both hands, almost s if he was hugging his arm. Kiba looked over to see this and brought his free hand over and held his hand over Naruto's.

"It's like a curse mark.." Naruto sobbed. "Not even the rain can wash it away."

Kiba knew that Naruto was referring to the Kyuubi. With even more sorrow in his heart, Kiba put his other arm over Naruto's back and held his arm. He was now somewhat hugging Naruto gently. They were both getting soaked.

"I know. I know.." Kiba said gently.

"Kiba.. I'm.."

"What are you, Naru?"

"I'm sorry."

Kiba gasped quietly. He was shocked to hear this.

"Sorry? What do you have to be sorry about?" Kiba asked.

"If you are pretending to like me; Pretending.. To be my friend to ease some of my pain.. You don't need to. If you hate me deep down.. I understand.."

Kiba was speechless. He couldn't even begin to understand what Naruto was saying to him.

"Naru.. You know me better than that."

Naruto looked up at Kiba, who was giving him a comforting smile.

"I..I was worried that you were like all the others.." Naruto said.

Kiba just looked into Naruto's sky blue eyes, which were dull with tears. Then he looked up at the sky, for a moment he watched the rain hit the leaves of the tree.

"Naruto."

"Yeah?"

"Did you know that this was Shikamaru's favorite tree to rest at? He always watched the clouds until there were no more." Kiba said.

Naruto rested in Kiba's arms, just listening to him.

"We were best friends." Kiba said.

Naruto's eyes opened up a little.

"We were friends since the chunin exams, and our friendship carries through even today, even when he is gone. You and Sasuke.. You two are still buddies, right?"

Naruto slowly nodded.

"Yes. Yes, we are." He said softly.

"We are the same Naruto. When you hurt, I hurt." Kiba started to fight tears. "When you cry.. I cry just as badly." Kiba let a tear run down his face. The two shinobi locked eyes. Kiba was faintly smiling at Naruto, who was listening intently to Kiba's words of comfort.

"I.. I don't care what others think or say about you. I listen to their words and I know that you are not just some beast who prowls all over, tormenting people! You're not just some nuisance who needs to be dealt with! You are a wonderful, loving, kind friend who would never turn his back on anyone! You are Naruto Uzumaki!" Kiba cried.

"K-Kiba.." Naruto muttered.

"You will always be my friend. Never forget that Naruto." Kiba said softly. "Never forget that."

Naruto threw his arms around Kiba, who did the same to the blonde. Naruto's head was buried in Kiba's chest.

"I-I won't." Naruto whimpered.

"Good." Kiba said softly, hugging Naruto tight.

The two shinobi laid there, under a tree, in the rain. Kiba let Naruto's head rest on his torso. Kiba started running his fingers through Naruto's hair.

"It is all going to be ok Naruto. You may not know it, but you are loved by all of us." Kiba said softly.

"Ok.." Naruto said, no longer sobbing. "That's a relief."

Kiba just smiled at Naruto's remark. It was really starting to get cold now.

"Naruto, It's getting very cold. How about we go back to my place. You can spend the night with me if you want." Kiba offered.

"Yeah. I'd like that." Naruto said. "I'd like that very much.."

The two shinobi helped each other up and they started walking to Kiba's house. Naruto looked up at Kiba, who was focused on the path.

_Hm. Friends forever, huh?.._ Naruto thought to himself.

_Sounds good to me._


	5. Chapter 5: As The Rain Falls

CHAPTER 5: As The Rain Falls

It soothed Naruto greatly to know that he was loved. Loved by his classmates. By his friends. That word _friend_ meant a great deal to the blonde shinobi. To him it meant trust, kindness, and care. And who else was caring for him right now more than anyone in the world? It was Kiba Inuzuka, the hound shinobi. It had only been just a few days since he felt indifferent towards Kiba. Now they are growing a bond as strong as steel. And now they are walking side by side, with his arm slung around Kiba's shoulder.

In the rain it was getting so cold. The two of them could not wait to get back to Kiba's house. It had been a long day, and nothing would please Naruto more than to just sit down and be dry.

"Say Kiba, how's Akamaru doin?" Naruto asked.

"Oh, Akamaru? He's doing just fine. Oh, that's another reason why I want to go back to my house." Kiba added.

"Really? Why? Is there something wrong?" Naruto asked.

Kiba laughed. "No, no, it's just that I haven't been spending too much time with him after Shika left."

"Ohh." Naruto said.

"Yeah, I think he's been pretty lonely lately." Kiba continued. "Heh, I'll bet he'll happy to see you too Naruto!"

Naruto laughed.

"Haha, I hope so!"

The two genin kept walking together. The rain had started to let up a bit. It's almost like the rain let up when Naruto's bright spirit returned to normal after Kiba's comforting words. His words were Naruto's cure to hatred. He loved Kiba for that. And he also kind of liked him a little more than that. Naruto knew deep down that no one else brought him the same joy in his heart than Kiba did. He didn't know why, but he felt like if Kiba left him like Sasuke did, he would feel even more heartbroken than he did that day at the Valley of the End. In other words, Naruto felt like he cared more for Kiba than he did for Sasuke. If only he could tell Kiba that. His life would be complete.

_Naruto's POV_

"_I like him. There's no mistaking it." _

"_**Who, dog boy? He seems okay. He's a good match for you, Kit." Kyuubi snared.**_

"_Kyuubi, will you ever keep out of my life?"_

"_**Why? I have given you power, power to crush anyone in your way if you wanted to, Kit. Don't forget that." Kyuubi growled.**_

"_No, Kyuubi. I hate you more than I can stand. I want to kill you so badly I can feel it!"_

"_**Oh really? I would love to see you try squirt."**_

"_Just shut up. I don't want to think of you. I want to think of—"_

"_**The Inuzuka brat, right?" **_

"_Don't call him a brat… He's better than you will ever be you cold bastard." _

"_**Whoa whoa, calm down Kit. I was just joking. I know that you love him."**_

"_And since when were you in charge of my feelings?" _

"_**Look deep down in your heart. You know that you love him, don't you."**_

_Naruto just stood there, in the cold waters of the sewer that was the Nine-Tail Fox room. He did know that. He had been denying it for all this time. It's true. They were the same. He did love him._

"_Kyuubi, I know what I have to do. I know who I am. Please, if you could. Stay out of this."_

"_**Fine, fine. But if things don't go well, I'll be here for you if you need any… persuasion, if you know what I mean."**_

"_I don't want to know what you mean by that, but I assure you that I do not want, nor do I NEED any parts of that."_

"_**Fine. Good luck, Kit."**_

_Normal POV_

"Naruto? Are you alright?" Kiba asked.

Naruto opened his eyes to about half way. He was lying on the ground.

"Wha—What… happened?" Naruto asked. He was dazed and confused. Why was he on the ground?

"You passed out. Totally out of nowhere. You were scaring me for a second, Naru." Kiba said with a smile.

Kiba was on his knees treating Naruto until he woke up. He wanted to care for his friend right to the very end. Naruto's half-open eyes slowly shifted to Kiba's warm, welcoming face. He was smiling at him like a mother would to her child.

"Come on Naruto!" Kiba laughed. "The way to my house isn't some long dangerous journey! So quit acting like it is!"

"Haha sorry, Kiba. I guess I was just tired." Naruto said.

Naruto passed out when Kyuubi started talking to him. That had to be it. How else does someone go from walking with his friend to waking up on the cold, wet ground?

"You know, Naruto, you kill me sometimes." Kiba laughed. "Come on! Let's go! And try not to pass out again on the way there."

"You can count on it!" Naruto said with his trademark toothy grin.

They continued walking down the path to Kiba's house. Naruto really wanted to tell Kiba how he felt when they got there. But how would he do it? He has never done anything like this before. He knew that he and Kiba had become close friends, but he still couldn't summon up the courage to tell him anything like this. It was too risky... What if he hated him after he told him? What if he never wanted to see him again? This was all on Naruto's mind at the moment. Did Kyuubi help? No, of course not.

"Kiba, Is anyone home at your house? I'm just wondering." Naruto asked.

"Nope. It's just Akamaru and soon to be us." Kiba said.

Naruto was happy about that one. That way, it would feel a lot less awkward if Kiba asked him to leave if Naruto told him the truth of what was going on inside of his heart. That sort of lightened the load, so he smiled at that. Maybe, just maybe… He could tell him. That is, if he can summon up the courage to.

The two shinobi finally arrived at Kiba's house. He grabbed the key that was under the staircase leading up to the front porch and showed it to Naruto about 3 inches from his face.

"Naruto, tell me what this is." Kiba said.

"Um.. a key?" Naruto guessed sarcastically.

"Yeah," Kiba said. "Get one."

They both laughed while Kiba opened the door to his house. He slid it open and they walked in. They both took off their sandals and walked into the kitchen.

"Well, here it is, it's not much, but make yourself at home."

Naruto stepped into the kitchen, following Kiba to the fridge.

"Want some grub? I don't know if I have ramen though.."

"It's ok," Naruto said. "Anything's fine with me Kiba."

Kiba looked back at him with a raised eyebrow in surprise. Three or four seconds passed of that exchange of looks.

"…what?" Naruto said innocently.

"Oh nothing, it's just that I have never seen you eat anything but pork miso ramen for like, your entire life." Kiba smiled his one-fanged toothy grin while rubbing the back of his head.

"But, whatever. I guess we all have to make changes once in a while, right?" Kiba said, turning back to take another dive into the fridge.

"Um.. we got T-Bone steaks?..haha..ha..yeah." Kiba awkwardly suggested with a drop of sweat forming out of a complete unknown nervousness.

"Sure, sounds fine to me!" Naruto walked to the table, pulled out a chair, and sat down at the seat next to the head.

"This might take a bit to grill." Kiba sighed as he laid them on the grill and turned it on. He let the steaks go, walking over to the table, exhaling in soreness and exhaustion as he took the seat next to Naruto.

"You know, you really scared me back there." Kiba said, still pretty exhausted, and he sure sounded like it too.

Naruto put his head down, staring at the blank face of the pine table he was seated at. Kiba immediately took notice of this, and immediately inherited an 'oh shit I shouldn't have said that' face.

"Um, not, not like that's a bad thing or anything! I'm always ready to protect my friends!" Kiba said, quickly conjuring up a grin and rubbing the back of his head. He still couldn't look at Naruto in the eyes for that brief moment.

"_Friend.." Naruto thought. "Kiba, you're more than a friend to me. Oh how I wish that you could feel the same."_

Naruto put his head up and smiled softly at the dog-nin, who then returned it with a smile of his own; sticking his tongue out slightly behind his lone fang that crept passed his lips when his mouth was closed.

"Naruto."

The blonde looked at the other boy with a curious face. Kiba put two glasses of water on the table, nonchalantly sliding one to Naruto and wrapping his hand around his glass as he stared at the blonde.

"Just wanted to say that if you were to get only one thing from knowing me, I hope that it's that you know I will ALWAYS have your back."

"Hm. Thanks Kiba. I really do know that I can trust you completely. I can't say that about anyone else, really. Well, maybe except for Baa-Chan." Naruto said as he flashed his toothy grin.

Kiba smiled warmly at the sight of his happiness. "And I'm glad that I brought your smile back."

Naruto unsquinted his eyes to look at his friend.

"I missed it." The brunette admitted. "It's just.. It's a beautiful smile."

Naruto turned his head slightly and blushed.

"Well, gee Kiba, I don't know what to say!" Naruto laughed, rubbing the back of his head.

Kiba cocked his head to the side, humorously giving Naruto a friendly smirk.

"Oh, the steaks are ready." Kiba said as he got up and walked over to the stove grill. Minutes later, the two boys ate their steaks, chatting about stuff going on around the village, like Sakura's new training under Lady Tsunade, and having laughs about the time when the two boys threw water balloons at an unsuspecting Shino. Later, they cleaned up the dishes.

"Oh my God, Kiba that was freakin delicious, arigatou!" Naruto exclaimed.

"No problem Naru!" Kiba laughed.

"Wait, did you just me Naru?"

"Um..Yeah…What, it's a nickname! Do you not like it or something?" Kiba said

"I love it! Thanks dogbreath!"

"Um.. can you change my nickname..maybe?" Kiba asked.

"Nah," Naruto laughed. "Then it wouldn't be you!"

Kiba thought about it for a second. "Meh, fine then." He laughed. "Whatever floats your boat Naru."

"Ha Ha, sounds good to me!" Naruto said happily, cocking his head back with a grin.

Kiba couldn't help but smile. _Hm. He's so cute when he smiles like that._ Kiba thought to himself.

A moment went by where Naruto was happy again and Kiba adored every second of it. It's like the two were connected in some way. As he said, when Naruto cries, he cries just as badly. Well, it could be the opposite, and that was proven in this moment. When Naruto is happy, so is Kiba; to him, that made the world go 'round.

"Um, hey, Naru."

"Yeah Dog breath, what's up?" The blonde laughed, finally leaning forward back into his seat.

"Wanna, I don't know.. Grab a drink and head out to the deck and watch the storm with me?" Kiba nervously asked, knowing that he never wanted the blonde to leave his side. Naruto looked at him with a confused look pasted on his face, but on the inside he was jumping for joy, jumping higher that all the stars in the sky.

"Well wait, isn't the deck, you know, open to the rain? Like, won't we get wet?" Naruto asked, confused.

"Na, I got it covered!" Kiba exclaimed while pointing at himself with his thumb. Naruto smiled softly at this. It's really what he needed to recover from the day at the festival.

"What drinks you got?" Naruto asked innocently, trying not to sound too imposing. Kiba just returned his smile and pulled out a 2 Liter bottle of Pepsi.

"Um.. I would take out the sake, but we're way too young for it." Kiba said, once again rubbing the back of his head while smiling nervously. He was blushing too; he was kind of embarrassed.

"Na, that sounds perfect!" Naruto said, grabbing a tall glass out of the dog boy's cabinet.

"Ha ha, great! Thought you were about to laugh at me or something!" Kiba said, making it clear that he was relieved.

"Na, what do I have to laugh about! I love Pepsi almost as much as I love ramen, Kiba!"

The two boys filled their glasses and headed for the deck. The rain had stalled a bit, not pouring nearly as much as it had been. Kiba opened the sliding doors to a semi-lavish deck, containing two lounge chairs resting on a soft red carpet. There was a small, round teak wood table in between the chairs.

They both sat on the chairs, watching the rain fall off of the soaked leaves that hung over the roof of the deck. All was peaceful.

"Wow, this is probably the most beautiful way I have ever looked at a storm Kiba. It's just, it's just so nice here; I wish I had the same thing." Naruto admitted.

"Naruto, you're always welcome to watch the rain with me. If this is what you want, then I wouldn't want it any other way." Kiba said softly, relaxed as he laid his deep eyes on the blonde.

"Kiba, it's ok. I'm fine now, thanks to you. You really don't have to go with everything I say because you might feel bad or sympathetic toward me. I wouldn't want to put you on a strain like that." Naruto stated. Kiba was kind of shocked at this.

"Naruto, please don't think I'm pretending to do this, or even doing it because of some sort of pity for you, because it's not. It's how I actually feel. I don't know, we just have similar likes and dislikes."

"Yeah, I guess so." Naruto said casually as he sipped his Pepsi. The brunette looked toward the rain, which was still steadily yet softly falling. Naruto, still sipping on his Pepsi, glanced at Kiba with a smile. Little did he know that Kiba was smiling himself, and for the same reason Naruto was.

The two reached for the 2-Liter bottle of Pepsi, eager for a refill. But Naruto felt something else, as Kiba did: the soft tenderness of the other's hand, reaching for the same thing.

They both pulled away, instantly looking in the opposite direction of each other.

"Kiba?"

"..Yeah?"

"You blushing right now too?"

Kiba was so shocked at this question that he was at a loss for words. Did the blonde see?

"Hm." Kiba said. "Well this is awkward."

"Really? Awkward? I honestly…" Naruto trailed off in thought, being careful choosing his words.

"Naru, Naruto? You honestly what?"

"Well, I honestly," Naruto said, finally turning his red face to the brunette boy, who was already staring at him. "I honestly kinda.."

"Liked it?" Kiba finished.

Naruto stared at Kiba for a moment, then stared back down into his lap. "Well, I—"

"Naru, look, to make this easier on you, I didn't mind it either." Kiba said.

Naruto was ECSTATIC. No, ecstatic is an understatement. He started to blush again.

"You…Really?"

"Well yeah, Naru, Why not? And you know what? I would happily do it again." Kiba said, feeling more confident staring at a blushing Naruto.

Naruto let out a wide eyed blushing smile. Um, I'll be, uh.. right back. I gotta go to the bathroom."

Kiba laughed. "Yeah, yeah go on; just don't destroy it, if you know what I mean." Kiba said, looking down at his drink, taking another sip.

That made the blonde chuckle. He scurried off inside, leaving the brunette dog-nin out on the deck. He went through Kiba's room to the bathroom, when he tripped over the bedpost as he was walking around Kiba's bed. His face met directly with the white carpeting. As he started to get up, the blonde noticed a dusty old book under the bed.

_Hmm..Meh, Kiba wouldn't mind if I used this for some bathroom reading. _With that, Naruto shoved the dusty old book into his back pocket as he made his way through Kiba's room to the bathroom.

Once there, he opened up the book, only to immediately inherit a wide-eyed expression as he dropped the book on the floor in front of him. He wasn't expecting that. He couldn't read it. It was Kiba's diary. Even though he apparently hasn't written in it for a while, hence the dust covering it, he still couldn't invade his privacy. He did his business, and exited the bathroom, heading back to the deck, Kiba's diary in hand and ready to put it back where he got it from. He walked into Kiba's room, only to be met by the brunette, standing there, in the doorway of the sliding deck doors on the other side of the room.

"Oh, Kiba, I—" Naruto said, noticing that Kiba's diary was in his hand, clearly visible. Kiba's semi-blank expression didn't lighten the awkwardness any. "I, uh.. I didn't read it, I swear." Naruto said defensively, gesturing for the brunette to take the book.

"Come with me." Kiba said, half monotone and half purposely.

Naruto unquestioningly obeyed and followed Kiba out back onto the deck. When one was just caught red-handed like that, said person NEVER has any room to say 'no' to ANYTHING.

Kiba led the blonde out to the chairs they were previously sitting on, just moments earlier.

"Please, take a seat." Kiba said.

"Um.." Naruto started awkwardly, "Kiba I'm sorry, I didn't know—"

"Just take it and open it to chapter 4, entry 8." Kiba said, letting up on the monotone voice, to Naruto's ultimate relief.

Naruto complied, flipping to the page. "Read it aloud, if you will." Kiba proposed.

"Ok, if that's what you want, Kiba. Ok, here goes." Naruto paused to look at Kiba, who was met by a gaze that gestured Naruto to get started reading.

"Dear Diary,

I don't really know what I feel anymore. I feel ready, and that's all I feel, that's all I know. I don't know how it'll turn out, but I hope I am still accepted. I need this, need it so much, and even though there is a huge risk, risk of losing a friend, I have decided that it is worth it. He is worth it. I am ready to give myself completely, and I am ready to put my everything on the line, even if only to have a _chance_ at success. I know that it might end whatever we might have, friendship or not, but if I go on with a secret, I know that our friendship will eventually end. I will NOT let that happen. I know if he is the right person, he can take it and still think the same of me. It's what a true friend is. I wish I could tell my secrets, and I think I have found someone who can share them with me. Because friendship and love is what I wanted all along."

Naruto turned the page, but it was blank on the other side.

"That's it. That's the latest entry. Seems incomplete; Did you finish the entry?" Naruto asked with genuine curiosity.

"No." Kiba said, his voice much softer than it had been. "I couldn't write anymore. I realized that putting the pen to the page can only go so far." He said in an undertone.

"I don't understand. Why did you have me read this?" Naruto asked, now extremely curious as to why Kiba was acting this way and asking him to read random diary entries.

"Because." Kiba said. "Well, you see, it's pretty obvious." Kiba laughed.

"Not to me!" Naruto yelled as Kiba continued his soft laugh. "What's so obvious about it?"

"I wrote it about you, Naru." Kiba said nonchalantly.

Naruto's eyes grew wider by the second. He stared back down at the page, quickly scanning it.

"You…You did?"

"Yep, I wrote it about you."

"So.. that means that you value me as your best friend, a brother almost by the way you describe it, and you think that you can tell me anything?" Naruto analyzed.

"Well, yeah. I trust you completely." Kiba admitted gracefully.

"Good. Kiba that's just the way it should be. I feel the exact same way about you."

Kiba laughed a bit at this. "Na, I don't think that you feel _exactly_ the same as me—"

"Oh yeah, then how did I read this and figure out your 'secret' by just looking at the words?" Naruto said cleverly.

"Wha—what?" Kiba said, kind of surprised. "I know I mentioned it, but I never revealed it. How could you know?" Kiba asked, getting a little bit nervous.

"Kiba, I know you. If it's true that you wrote this about me, then it is easy to decipher what you meant by your 'secret' if I am the one reading it."

Kiba just sat there listening to Naruto.

"I know things, Kiba. I know that you were ready to show me this, and I know that you purposely made me read it so I could take the hint." Naruto said.

"Well, get a load of this. Looks like I'm having Pepsi with Sherlock Holmes." Kiba said, with a faint laugh.

"So, I know what your secret is." Naruto continued, "The look in your eyes gives it away, too."

Kiba raised an eyebrow at this. He had no idea Naruto could be so analytical when it came to this type of thing.

"I know one more thing too, Kiba." Naruto said as the brunette brought full attention back to the blonde after a short pause.

"Oh yeah, and what's that?" Kiba questioned. Naruto got up and walked over to Kiba's chair.

"Naru, what else do you kno—" Kiba was intercepted mid- sentence by a passionate kiss from the blonde, who proceeded to cup the dog boy's cheek in the palm of his tanned hand. Kiba was shocked at first, naturally, but eventually started to kiss the fox boy back, just as passionately as Naruto had. They kissed amidst the rain, which continued to fall on the leaves surrounding Kiba's deck. A rainbow was forming in the distance. Their kiss lasted about thirty seconds until they finally broke apart and locked ocean blue eyes with deep brown ones.

"I know that I love you, too, Kiba-kun." Naruto smiled gently at the boy, easily falling into a tight embrace, becoming encircled in the brunette's arms.

"Naru… thank you."

"For what?" Naruto asked, running a hand through brown hair.

"For staying with me, even when you know." Kiba said gently.

"Kiba." Naruto started. Kiba looked up at him once more.

"I will stay with you until the end of time." The blond stated. The two boys then tightened their embrace once again and fell asleep, peacefully, to the sounds of the calming storm.


End file.
